


Memories

by H20loo



Series: The Visitors [8]
Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Goodbyes, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 13:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4565574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H20loo/pseuds/H20loo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last story in the Visitors Series.  Kim has reached a crossroads, and someone very familiar has come back to help her decide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last story chronologically, and I thought it would be the last one period. But then I started writing again, so it didn't end up being the last. Since I am posting in the order written, I put it here. You can read it in whatever order you like. :)

Memories

The pale sunlight of a bitterly cold February day filtered in wanly through the blinds that sheltered an old woman's bedroom, scattering itself over the bedspread and the furniture that lay strewn about. The bed's occupant sighed as she woke up from one of her interminable naps; she hadn't even realized she had been tired; yet, again, she found herself waking up. "I have really gotten too damn old," she thought, shifting as she contemplated what she should do next.

"I should just go back to sleep," she thought morosely, the weight of each and every one of her one hundred and eleven years weighing on her like the proverbial millstone. Being as long-lived as she was, she had been "old" for a very long time, and truly, it had never really slowed her down. But now, after the death of her beloved wife the previous fall, her advanced age made itself known at every opportunity, and for the first time in her life, she was finding herself ill-prepared to fight against forces that would bring her down. She sighed, chafing at the thought that she could be losing a battle. She was Kimberly Ann Possible, for heaven's sake. She had fought against everything evil and had always come away victorious, because she was the girl who could do anything. But, she realized, without Shego, that didn't seem nearly as important now. She had been with Shego for ninety-five years, and she was finding out that she just didn't know how to live without her.

She sighed again, and got up slowly, tired of the melancholy that had never been a part of her nature. She was just depressed, she decided. She needed to stop moping and go do something, something that would keep her mind off things. She started to shuffle off toward the bathroom, but her step was unsure, and she tripped on the edge of the rug that covered the floor between the bed and the bathroom. Unable to stop herself, she plunged toward the floor and as she fell, she winced and shut her eyes, knowing what kind of damage the hardwood would do to her fragile bones.

The expected crash never came, though; instead, Kim found herself cradled in strong arms that lifted her up to a body that she had thought never to feel again. Kim opened her eyes in shock, and there, smiling wryly back at her, was her Shego, looking much as she had when they had first met. "You are way too damn old to have rugs in here, Princess," she admonished. "Don't you know what kind of tripping hazard they are?"

Kim stared at her for a while trying to process it all, but Shego's familiar wryly-cocked eyebrow brought her back to herself. "Well, yeah," Kim admitted sheepishly. "But it has been in here so long that I never thought of taking it out." She lifted a hand to Shego's face, testing something, and was not surprised to feel an icy coldness against her palm, one similar to what she always felt when Aunt Sheila was about. "So you found the way out, too?" Kim asked wryly. "I thought they closed that up after Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila got banished."

Shego chuckled. "They did," she said smugly. "But there is always more than one way out of anything."

Kim shook her head. "It's a wonder they even let you in," she said with a fond smile.

"They didn't want to," Shego replied. "But, Fate or some other thing stepped in and they had to. Don't ask me for details; I was too busy figuring out how to make it back to you to listen too closely, so I missed some of what they were blathering on about."

Kim chuckled softly. That sounded like her Shego. "So how long can you stay?" she asked, as Shego floated over to their bed and put her down gently.

"Not long," Shego admitted reluctantly. "I don't think I should be away that long or we might piss them off. And, if we piss them off again, I think we might go to the other place."

Shego paused, and Kim knew that pause well. It meant Shego had something to say that she knew Kim was not going to like, but that she had to say anyway because it was important. "Spit it out, sweetie," Kim ordered good-naturedly.

Shego grinned self-consciously, knowing that she had been busted as she always was by Kim. "I came to get you, Princess," she stated truthfully. "It sucks being without you, and I can't take it anymore. Because of the delicate situation up there, I can't keep coming back, so the only way for us to be together is for you to come with me."

Kim took that in. "But wouldn't I have to die for that to happen?" she inquired.

"Well, yeah, kinda," Shego answered hastily, not looking at Kim.

Kim sighed, thinking about it. "I don't like to lose, Shego," she said, after a few minutes' pause. "And death feels so much like losing to me."

"I know," Shego said affectionately. "That's why I came down here to get you. I figured if you just left with me, it wouldn't feel so much like you were losing."

Kim smiled; even in death, Shego was still trying to protect her. She thought some more, searching for a reason to stay even as most of her wanted to go with Shego. "What about our girls?" she said finally.

"Annie is eighty-six, Princess," Shego reminded her. "And Lillian and Surprise are eighty-four. I think they would be okay on their own."

"Our youngest daughter's name is Juliet," Kim stated firmly, starting an old, familiar argument. "We named her after Nana, not after a party."

"The only people who ever called her Juliet were you and her teachers," Shego retorted. "And even her teachers had a hard time because she kept correcting them."

Kim chuckled. "Yup, she did. It made me feel bad for any teacher who had the twins in their class," she said, thinking about those times long ago.

"It wasn't just the twins," Shego pointed out. "Annie was just as bad sometimes. Remember Ms. Wilson?"

Kim sighed slightly in embarrassment. "Well, why they put all of those kids in one second grade class, I'll never understand," she said, blushing at the memory.

Bring Your Parent to School Day

Shego fidgeted around in the second-grader sized chair, wondering how in the hell she had gotten roped into this. Even as much as she loved her girls, this whole coming-to-meet-the teacher thing was so much more a Kim thing; she would come along because that was what she was supposed to do. But, here she was, alone for the first time, because the twins had started kindergarten and Kimmie was downstairs in their classroom.

She started to frown, but then the door opened, and her redheaded offspring bounded into the room with the rest of her class, all of them coming back from their morning recess. "Mama!" she squealed excitedly, bolting over to her, and plopping down into her lap.

"Hey Sweetheart," Shego said affectionately, giving her a hug, before looking around at the other kids who were greeting their parents. Ms. Wilson, the 2nd grade teacher, came in behind them and sat at her desk for a moment while everyone got themselves situated.

Ms. Wilson smiled as all of her students reacted happily to seeing their parents. That was very good to see. What wasn't so great was the mixture of adults that she saw in her classroom; she had lived in Middleton all of her life, so she knew everybody, and never had there been such a volatile mixture of parents whose kids were all assigned to one teacher. She had questioned administration about it, but they gave her some flattering twaddle about how a veteran teacher like her could handle it, and so here she was, with the children of practically every hero and villain in Middleton in her care.

The heroes were represented by Annie Possible-Goshen, Ernie Load, Donald aka Duckie Stoppable, and Lizzie Porter-Director, while the villains were represented by Conchita Senior, Mulligan Killigan, and Dian-Amy Fisk. Stuck in the middle was sweet little Antoinette Lipsky. Her father had been a villain and had been sent to jail years ago by Annie's moms. While in jail, he had been assaulted, and the result has been Antoinette. Her mother didn't want her, and her father was still in jail, so she had been given up for adoption, and had been adopted by one of Middleton's finest, Christine Whorley, and her partner, Nina Johnson. The problem was that Drakken had never given up his parental rights, and when he got out of jail, he wanted his daughter back. It took years of legal wrangling, but now her biological dad and her adoptive moms shared custody, and Ms. Wilson saw three adults sitting with her sweetest, and bluest, student.

After everyone seemed settled, Ms. Wilson called everyone to order. "I'd like to thank all of the parents who took time out of their busy schedule to join us today," she began, and all of the adults nodded back amiably. "Who would like to introduce their parent first?" Ms. Wilson asked and was unsurprised when Annie Possible-Goshen's hand shot up instantaneously. "Thank you for volunteering, Annie; you and your Mom can come up," Ms. Wilson replied, settling back into her desk.

Annie hopped off her Mama's lap, grabbed her Mama's hand and marched them both up to the front of the classroom. "This is my Mama," she announced. "Her name is Shego and she fights crime with my Mommy, Ernie and Duckie's daddies, and sometimes Tony and Lizzie's mommies," she recited, having been working on this speech for a while. "When she was bad, she worked for Tony's daddy, but then she met my Mommy and put him in jail," she stated. Drakken frowned and Shego chuckled under her breath. Her kid had Kimmie's honesty and her bluntness; that was for sure. "After she became good," Annie continued, "she also put Mulligan's and Conchita's daddies and Dian-Amy's mommy and daddy in jail." Shego smirked as all of those parents glared at her, and Ms. Wilson flinched as the tension in the room started to creep up.

"And the last thing about my Mama," Annie stated, and Ms. Wilson blew out a small breath of relief that the awkwardness was almost over, "is that she has super powers. She can produce fire…" Annie said, looking hopefully at Shego, and Shego dutifully lit up her right hand, causing the uninitiated kids in the room to look at her in delight. "She is really strong…" Annie continued, and Shego lifted the nearest kid, who happened to be Ernie, and his desk above her head before carefully setting him down. "And she doesn't get hurt very easily," she finished, and just as Shego was grateful that she didn't have to demonstrate that, a golf ball came whizzing at her head.

Shego lifted her hand and caught it, lighting up and incinerating into a pile of ash that she dumped into the trash can by the teacher's desk. "Nice try, Killigan," she said, before somersaulting to the back of the room where Mulligan's desk resided and grabbing Duff by his collar. "But don't ever hit one of those things near my daughter again," she warned him in a low voice, his face inches from hers.

"Let my daddy go!" a squeaky voice insisted, and Shego felt what could only be a golf club smack into her thigh with all the force that Mulligan could muster. She sighed and started to lower Duff back to the ground, not wanting to escalate the situation, when she heard Ernie's voice from the front of the room.

"Don't you hit my Auntie Shego!" he yelled, and barreled down the aisle before Monique could catch him. He tackled Mulligan and sent them both crashing to the ground, which caused Dian-Amy to come to her Scottish best friend's rescue.

"Leave Mulligan alone!" she ordered, pouncing on Ernie before either her mother or father could grab her. She got a good whack in at Ernie's nose, and predictably, it started spurting blood.

Still up front, Annie saw the blood and came rushing to Ernie's defense. "Get off of him!" she demanded, and joined the melee on the floor. Shocked by how quickly things had gotten out of hand, Shego dropped Duff and grabbed Annie, seeing the angry green sparks snapping in her eyes and knowing what that meant. Shego hauled her up and away from the pile as quickly as she could, and just a fraction of second later, Annie's hands lit up with the same green flame that Shego had demonstrated earlier.

Everyone in the class froze, and Annie dangled from her Mama's grip like a kitten held by the neck, her hands still alight. Shego looked at her and quirked an eyebrow. Annie sighed and relaxed, the green flame slowly dissipating until it had extinguished completely. "Sorry, Mama," she muttered.

"Your child has powers?" Drakken shrieked.

"Well, yeah," Shego said incredulously. "You just saw them."

"But she could have hurt someone," he said, aghast. "She would have hurt someone if you hadn't pulled her out."

"They only appear when she is really upset," Shego countered, setting her down on the floor. "And Annie doesn't get upset very often."

"Says you," Drakken scoffed.

"No, it's true, Daddy," a small voice chimed in, and everyone turned their attention to the small, blue cherub beside him. "Annie doesn't like to show her powers. We've asked her, but she says it takes a lot out of her," Tony explained.

"Oh," Drakken said, mollified at his daughter's trust.

"Even still," Bonnie, there because of Conchita, interrupted. "Should we be worried that our kids are in class with a freak?"

Monique sighed. Bonnie never changed. "I've known about Annie for years," Monique stated, "and I don't care if Ernie is in her class."

"You are hardly impartial," Bonnie pointed out, and some of the other parents started to raise their voices in approval. Annie's supporters did likewise, and soon the classroom erupted into an ear-splitting din that was edging towards more violence.

"ENOUGH!" Ms. Wilson bellowed from the front, and her students, knowing this tone of voice, promptly shut up and returned to their seats. Their parents, noticing the tone and following their cue, did likewise, and soon everyone was quietly seated. "Now then," she said when everyone was facing her, "the administration and I have known ever since Annie started school here that she had special abilities, and so have your children if Antoinette is to be believed. The situation is well under control, and it is only your presence here that escalated the situation. Now, we are going to continue with the introductions and if anyone here causes any more disruption, I am sending the guilty party to the principal's office be they child or adult. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" she said pointedly. All of the adults hunkered down in their seats and nodded.

"Now, where were we?" Ms. Wilson said crisply, returning to her normal friendly manner. "Who would like to go next?" she asked, and gave thanks when her favorite student raised her hand. "Very well, Antoinette. You and your parents please come to the front," Ms. Wilson requested.

Antoinette did as she was told, Ernie's nose was attended to, everyone apologized, and the day got back on track. Well, at least it did until one little incident, resulting in an announcement that Kim heard in the kindergarten room. "Ms. Kim Possible, will you please report to the principal's office? Ms. Possible, please report to the principal's office, thank you."

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"I still can't believe she sent me to the principal's office," Shego's ghost groused, and Kim chuckled.

"Well, you did deserve it, Sweetie," Kim pointed out, with a knowing smile, "And it made you eligible for Campus Cleanup. Those tables never looked better," she teased.

Shego snorted. "I guess," she allowed. She looked at Kim. "You ready yet, Princess?" she asked gently.

"No," Kim admitted quietly.

"Then I'll make you a deal," Shego offered gathering her up. "One more memory and then you come away with me."

"It would depend on which one," Kim answered.

"How about the one that started with all of the girls ambushing us in the kitchen and ended in your Mom's ER getting blood taken?" Shego suggested.

Kim smiled. "That's a good one," she admitted with a chuckle.

Birds and Bees

The Possible-Goshen girls peeked surreptitiously through the doorway leading from the living room to the kitchen, hoping to see if their mothers will still at the table finishing their breakfast. They were, so Annie looked at the twins, Lillian and Juliet, and they wordlessly debated whether they should proceed with their plan.

"We can see you guys," Shego called out casually, not looking out from behind her newspaper. "What are the three of you plotting?"

The girls sighed and came into the kitchen, sitting down at the three empty chairs. Black-haired Juliet and brown-haired Lillian, fresh off their fourteenth birthday, looked at their older sister, the red-headed Annie, encouraging her to speak. Kim and Shego glanced at one another behind their newspapers quizzically before folding them and setting them down on the table.

"So, what seems to be the problem, ladies?" Kim inquired, and waited patiently as the three of them fidgeted.

"You should tell them, Annie," Lillian whispered fiercely. "We planned this, remember?"

"Then you do it!" Annie shot back.

"I'll do it," Juliet offered.

"Don't you dare, Surprise," Annie and Lillian whispered back simultaneously.

Shego coughed drolly, amused and intrigued by the display. "Will someone just get to the point?" she asked. "What, is one of you pregnant? Do I have to find the boy and kill him?"

The girls and Kim looked shocked at that. "Don't even joke about that, Shego," Kim warned under her breath. "So, what it is?" she prompted.

Annie finally decided to speak up. "Well, um, we want to, um, know more about you guys," she began.

"Why?" Shego asked, amusedly curious. "Aren't you guys supposed to be avoiding your dorky parents at this stage?"

"Kinda," Lillian admitted.

Kim and Shego looked at each other and frowned, thinking that this might be a cover for one of them being in trouble, when Kim had a flash of inspiration based on how uncomfortable they all seemed to be. "What exactly do you want to know about us?" she asked, fishing for clues. "Does it have to do with our marriage and relationship?"

"Uh, yes," Annie decided, after looking at her sisters.

"Is one or all of you gay?" Shego interjected unexpectedly, picking up on Kim's thought process. "Are you questioning? Is that what this is all about?"

The girls stared at their Mama for a few seconds, and as the time passed, Shego and Kim noted that Lillian seemed suddenly very uncomfortable and had started blushing. "No, that's not it," she said quickly.

"So you all came to tell us you're straight?" Kim asked, confused. "Then you might have to ask your grandmas about that; they are the only straight women around."

"No, no, no…" Juliet began, but Shego cut her off.

"You guys are not gay, and you are not straight, so you're…bi?" Shego guessed. She thought. "Well you will have to talk to your Grand-nana Mim then. She is the only one in the family that went both ways."

"Must you couch it in those terms, Junior?" a disembodied voice sighed, as Mim slowly faded into view. "Yes, it was true that I could appreciate the male and the female form with equal admiration, but that description has always annoyed me."

"Fine," Shego surrendered. "Your Grand-nana Mim was the only one who would have been equally happy with a male or female spouse."

"Much better, "Mim replied.

Annie sighed. "We aren't here to talk about our sexuality," she said loudly in exasperation to get everyone's attention. "We are here to talk about yours."

"Ours?" Shego questioned, now really confused. "Isn't that obvious?"

"Well, yes," Annie admitted. "But, what we want to talk about it is who our dads were."

"Oh," Shego and Kim in stereo, looking at each other. "Well, what do you want to know?" Kim prompted.

"Just who they are," Annie said. "We all have Mama's powers, but we all look like Possibles with different hair color, so we are figuring it has to be our uncles on both your sides."

"Well, it is true that you have a different father than the twins," Kim admitted, and the girls looked at each other triumphantly. "But," she continued, "neither my brothers nor Shego's brothers are any of your fathers." Triumph quickly turned to confusion on the faces of the Possible-Goshen offspring as their only hypothesis got summarily dismissed, and Kim though it best to just tell them the truth. "I'm your father, Annie," she stated, "And your Mama is the twins' father. You all are full-blooded siblings."

The girls looked at each other, and then back at their moms. "That's biologically impossible," Lillian said flatly.

"True," Shego shrugged. "But…"

"Please don't say that anything is possible for a Possible," Juliet interrupted, pleading. Kim grinned.

"Before I was so rudely interrupted, what I was going to say was that your Mom and I were owed a lot of favors by some pretty powerful people," Shego explained. "And one of them had the power to give you to us."

"So that's it?" Annie asked incredulously. "We don't have dads?"

"Nope," Shego confirmed. "This makes you all even more unique than you were, so I wouldn't go spreading it around. The only reason you are here and not in some government lab is because of other family connections and other favors we are owed."

"Well, that, and your Mama and I would kill anyone who tried to take any of you away from us," Kim pointed out.

"Yeah, well, that goes without saying," Shego said nonchalantly.

They looked at their offspring, and their offspring looked at them. "We will be back in a few minutes," Annie said, and grabbing her younger sisters, dragged them off to the living room. Kim and Shego sat at the table, waiting for them to return, and when they did, it was obvious that they had worked out a plan. Annie looked at them both. "We want proof," she said bluntly.

"Okay," Kim agreed, surprising her kids. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. She punched a couple of numbers, waited for a couple of minutes, and finally spoke. "Hi Mom," she said, letting them all know who she was talking to, "your granddaughters want proof of who their dads are. Could we come in for a DNA test?" Kim listened to her mother's response. "Thanks, Mom," she said after a pause. "We will be there in half an hour." She hung up the phone. "All right, everyone, let's go. Your grandma is waiting," she stated.

Everyone trooped out the door and into the car, and on the way to the hospital, Kim decided to make a few more calls. By the time they got there, Tim and Jim Possible, as well as Bertie, Reggie, Augie and Willie Goshen were waiting for them as well. "I figured we would remove any doubt all at once," she explained cheerfully when everyone looked at her, and Shego smiled wryly. It was so like her Princess to be thorough.

They went inside, waited for a while, and then got their blood drawn by Dr. Possible. With the new technology that the hospital had acquired, they got the results back in an hour or so, and no one but the girls themselves were shocked by the results.

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"It took them awhile to get used to the idea," Shego remembered.

"Of course it did," Kim scoffed, "It's not often that you are told you are a biological impossibility. They seemed like it after a while, though," she admitted.

"They did," Shego agreed. "All three of them like being unique."

Kim smiled. "That they do," she said wryly. She paused, knowing where Shego would take the conversation. True, Kim had agreed on one more story, but she wasn't ready to go yet. "One more?" she asked hopefully.

Shego looked at her wife and sighed. "One more," she agreed.

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Beauty and the Beast

__

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a handsome king and his beautiful queen. Fate had been kind to them and had blessed them with five beautiful children, four boys and one girl. For many years, the family was happy, but as the princess grew older, she grew restless, and when it came time for her to marry, she fled, wanting a life of adventure.

She crisscrossed the land, finding many splendid adventures, until one day she happened upon a smaller, rustic kingdom to the west. She thought little of it at first; her own kingdom was much more beautiful and grand. But, her business caused her to tarry longer than she planned, and she chanced to see the kingdom's princess. She fell in love immediately and irrevocably and soon forgot all about adventure. She turned her efforts to wooing the princess, even reconciling with her family in the process, and soon she was successful in securing the hand of her beloved. As was the custom, they would live happily ever after in the beautiful castle they built for themselves in the western kingdom.

Many years later, in the same kingdom far, far away, a king from the same family ascended to the throne, and like his forebear, had four sons and a daughter. History, as was its wont, repeated itself, and again, the princess from this kingdom grew restless and left for a life of adventure. In her travels, she came across a bumbling evil Wizard and decided to travel with him, becoming his apprentice. He, in his way, sought to protect her and keep her bound to him, and so he cast a spell on her to turn her into a Beast so that none could know her true identity. It served its purpose, and she remained his willing accomplice. But often, her restless nature and lack of tolerance for his bumbling would manifest itself, and she would have to escape his company. More often than not, she would flee to the beautiful castle in the western kingdom, finding contentment in its solitude.

After the Wizard's latest foible, she fled to the castle once again. But this time would be different, for a new king had ascended the throne in the western kingdom and like his forebear, had a beautiful daughter. The Princess was his eldest, and heir to the throne, so while her father lived, she made it her mission to protect their kingdom. This would set the two princesses on a course that would ensnare one and set the other free.

"Father!" the Princess cried as she entered the throne room. "An evil Beast hath been seen in our kingdom. If it pleases you, I wish to apprehend him and banish him from our borders."

"Very well, daughter," the King replied, knowing that it was foolishness to argue. "But thou art to have no men in thy party except for your loyal squire."

"As always, Father," she replied. "Squire!" she bellowed, and he stood at attention. "Henceforth we shall go." He saluted, and after securing their horses and provisions, they took off for the dark castle that was rumored to hold the Beast.

After two weeks' travel, they approached the foreboding structure, the Squire's horse became spooked and ran as fast as it could, propelling the Squire through the castle gates. The animal skidded to a halt at the sight of the castle, and the never-graceful Squire was thrown off the horse and through the front doors. A great claw reached out for him and snatched him up, and only a strangled cry of help wafted through the trees for the Princess to hear. "Squire!" she called and urged her horse forward, riding through the gates herself. When she beheld his steed, she pulled up her horse and jumped off, drawing her sword as she entered the castle.

The Beast watched as the Princess stalked through her castle, searching for the Squire that was now held prisoner in the tower. She was beautiful, the Beast thought, following her lithe form as she bounded up the tower stairs following the voice of the Squire. The Beast jumped down from her perch and followed her, staying careful to remain hidden.

"Squire!" the Princess called again, and he answered, directing her to a dank, dark cell in the corner of the uppermost room. "I shall free you," she said, and raised her sword to break the lock.

"He is my prisoner, Princess," said a low, dangerous voice from behind her, and the Princess whirled to come face to face with a creature that could only be the mythical Beast. "He hath trespassed on my property, and I have rightfully imprisoned him. Thou shalt leave as well, or thou will suffer the same fate," she warned.

The sword lowered, for the Princess knew that the Beast was right, and the Squire had no recourse. After a minute's thought, she spoke, "Thou art correct in thy interpretation of the law," the Princess allowed, "But canst I offer myself in his place?"

"Princess, no!" the Squire shouted. "I am not worthy of this."

"Thou wouldst do this?" the Beast asked quizzically.

"Yes," the Princess replied.

"Then thy will be done," the Beast said with a smirk. She grabbed the Squire and hauled him downstairs, throwing him out and locking the door behind him. He stared at the door for a moment before regaining his wits, mounting his steed and riding in haste to gather reinforcements from the kingdom.

From her unbowed stance, it was clear to the Beast that the Princess would be no ordinary prisoner. There were no tears, no fear, no anything on her proud features, and the Beast knew the Princess was already plotting away to free herself by ridding the castle of its Beastly mistress. The Beast smirked. "I offer thee a challenge, Princess," she said, as the Princess turned toward her. "If thou canst defeat me in battle, then thou may go free."

The Princess considered her offer, and her suspicion was clear on her features. "And what wouldst thou consider defeat?" she asked.

"Two things," the Beast said, the smirk never leaving her face. "Death or surrender."

"So if I kill thee, or make thee utter the words 'I surrender', I canst leave this castle?" the Princess clarified.

"Verily," The Beast confirmed, her smile widening.

"Capital," the Princess replied, a smile forming on her own face.

"But," the Beast forestalled her, "If I win, then thou will become my prisoner forever, and thou canst make no attempt to escape."

The Princess considered this. "So be it," she decided. "Choose thy weapon."

"I require only these," the Beast replied showing her clawed hands.

A fleeting grimace flashed upon the features of the Princess as she realized she would be without her beloved sword, but it quickly disappeared. "I art ready if thou art," she said with her customary fire. 

That got a full laugh out of the Beast. "We shall see," she said, and without warning attacked.

Though caught off-guard, the Princess responded in kind, and soon the two of them were waging their battle through most, if not all, the long corridors and large rooms of the castle. They fought for hours, until the moonlight filtered in through the windows, creating concealing shadows for them to hide in. They continued to fight until the moonlight faded, the sky lightened and the dawn announced a new day. Still, they did not stop, and it was only when the moonlight returned and they had squared off exhaustedly in the library yet again that the Beast decided on a different course of action. "I propose we call a truce for the evening," she announced, flopping tiredly into one of the reading chairs with unmistakable relief. 

"Never," the Princess said, maintaining her defensive stance. "I will only stop if thou art defeated."

The Beast looked at her and sighed, getting up. Her pride refused to allow her to surrender, and she could see the same sort of temper in the Princess, so she resigned herself that this fight would last until one of them died of exhaustion. But then a flash of inspiration came, and without warning, she took off running of out the library, down the corridor and into her own suite of rooms.

The Princess was stunned and it took her a minute to give chase, and this brief pause allowed the Beast to secure herself in her bedroom. The Princess pounded on the door, but to no avail. It was bolted and barred, and there was no way she was getting in. "Coward!" she cried. "Show yourself or the victory is mine!"

"I am not dead, and I have not surrendered, so thou art still my prisoner," the Beast countered, her voice muffled by the thick door. "Find thyself a room, get thee some rest, and we start anew on the morrow." The Princess pounded the door in frustration, but only heard a laugh in return. "Thou hast fought the good fight, Princess, sleep well and I will most likely kill thee in the morning," came the muffled, amused reply.

The good-natured tone of the last phrase completely caught the Princess off-guard. They had been trying to best one another for the past two days, her fellow combatant was an enchanted Beast, and yet, the Beast's voice betrayed no malice, only genial camaraderie. It was a puzzle that vexed the Princess as she looked for a room, settled down in one and made ready to go to sleep. And though exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep quickly, her dreams were filled with images of beautiful, yet deadly, Beasts.

When dawn broke, the Princess heard a quiet knock on the door to her room, and she hastened to answer it, thinking it to be the Beast ready to resume their battle. Instead, she found a cart with a tray containing breakfast. Her stomach growled at the sight of the food and it reminded her that she had not eaten for almost two days. She gratefully picked up the tray from the cart and brought it into her room, devouring the feast in minimal time. She replaced the tray on the cart and began to search for the Beast.

The Beast was not hard to find, as she was enjoying her own breakfast in the parlor. "Didst thou have a good rest?" she inquired, putting down her teacup. 

"Yea," the Princess answered warily, expecting the battle to resume. 

"Good," the Beast commented in a sincere tone, picking up her teacup again. "And if in the future, we find ourselves in this castle having our morning repast, thou art welcome to eat here with me. I always take breakfast in the parlor."

"I wouldst like that," the Princess replied, now thoroughly intrigued by her hostess. Her honest nature had gotten the better of her in the face of a sworn enemy, and she seemed surprised at her own admission, but she knew that if she had said it, then it was the way that she felt.

The Beast cracked a wry grin at the unexpected response, but did not comment on it. Instead, she got up, stretched and put down her teacup once again. "Well, would you like another attempt to earn your freedom?" she asked with good natured challenge.

"It shall not be an 'attempt'," the Princess replied, and once again the battle waged. As before, neither the Beast nor the Princess could best the other, and so it continued without pause until evening. And as before, the Beast retired to her rooms, forcing the Princess to do the same, but the next morning they took their breakfast together amiably in the parlor before beginning their fight. So it would continue for nearly three weeks, until the Princess halted the absurdity. "Thou are not a Beast," she said bluntly as she took her chair next to her hostess early one morning.

The Beast's eyebrow quirked. "And how didst thou come to that conclusion?" she asked. "Look at me, Princess. I have claws, I have black and green scales, and I have thee trapped as my prisoner in my dark, dank castle."

"I will concede that your appearance is not typical," the Princess allowed. "But, thou are not a Beast. And perhaps I was a prisoner in the beginning, but no longer. I couldst leave anytime I wished to."

"Could thee now?" the Beast inquired, with challenge implicit in her voice. 

"Verily," the Princess replied with utmost confidence.

The Beast growled and jumped at the Princess, causing her chair to go tumbling backwards. The Princess flipped as she fell, but the Beast anticipated it, and they crashed together on the floor with the Beast landing on top of the Princess. She pinned the Princess down, her face angry. "Am I Beast enough for thee now, Princess?" she asked.

The Princess gazed up at her, ill at ease not from the attack, but from the physical closeness of the Beast. "This might not have been the wisest course of action," she muttered, as feelings and sensations of love that had been percolating underground for a while came bubbling to the surface. "'Tis a ruse," she declared more loudly. "Thou will not hurt me."

The Beast growled, and willed herself to do something, but looking into that beautiful face that she had so easily fallen in love with, she found that she could not. "I surrender," she said quietly, rising to her feet. "Now leave my castle."

The Princess got up off the floor, stunned to hear those words. She looked at the Beast and squared her shoulders, deciding on a course of action. "I will not leave unless thou agree to come with me," she declared.

"Art thou mad?" the Beast asked, not angry but perplexed. "We fought each other days for thy freedom, and when given, thou doth put a condition on it?" When the Princess did not answer, another question emerged, this one more quiet. "And why wouldst thou want me to be with thee?"

"I like thee," the Princess said candidly. "And thou art an excellent fighter. I would do well to have thee in mine fighting force."

"But I thought thy fighting force was thee and thy Squire," the Beast pointed out, having learned much about the Princess from their breakfasts and their fighting.

"It is, but I want thee as well, and I will stay with thee and hound thee until thou dost join," the Princess answered, smiling.

The Beast pondered that and drew closer to the Princess, sighing. "Then I might as well agree to thy demands," she said resignedly. "Thou wilt never lose, and I be too lazy to fight thee for the rest of my life."

The Princess smiled and drew nearer to the Beast. The Beast did the same, and as each woman was on the precipice of admitting her feelings, a loud crash came from the front of the castle, accompanied by yelling voices. "Princess!" the Squire bellowed, his voice carrying to the upstairs, "I am here to rescue thee!"

The Princess sighed. The Squire's timing was severely lacking. She took the Beast's hand, and led her out of the parlor to the main stairwell. As she descended, with every eye on her, she made a proclamation. "Heretofore the Beast is in mine service and is a friend of the realm. No more shall the Beast be persecuted nor harassed. Is that exceedingly clear?" 

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Squire and all of the invading force answered. Confused as they were, they would never disobey a direct order from the Princess.

"What do thou mean that mine apprentice is now in thy service?" The bumbling Wizard demanded, as he appeared out of nowhere in the midst of the assembled company.

"What are thou doing here?" the Beast demanded. "I told thee never to come here."

"Well, yes, I know, but thou were long in coming back, and I was worried," the bumbling Wizard said hurriedly as the Beast fixed him with a glare. "Thou dost know how much I care for thee and consider us to be family."

"She hath a new family," the Princess retorted, before the Beast could open her mouth. "Arrest him," she ordered her men.

"Beast! Save me!" the bumbling Wizard pleaded as the Princess' men surrounded him.

The Beast pondered it for a moment, then saw the Princess look at her with an expression that the Beast had never dared hope to see on those beautiful features. "Sorry, Bumbling Wizard, but I have been well and truly defeated, and I must not disobey my new Mistress," she said with no regret in her tone.

As the Princess' men shackled him, the Princess turned towards the Beast. "I am thy Mistress?" she asked, a sly grin forming. "How did that come to be?"

"Thou didst defeat me this morning in the parlor," the Beast reminded her. "I surrendered."

"No, thou hast not surrendered yet," the Princess disagreed. She hesitated briefly, sure of her feelings but unsure of the Beast's, before her natural boldness took over and she captured the Beast in a kiss. At the meeting of their lips, the whole of the castle chamber filled with light, blinding all that surrounded the Princess and the Beast.

As the light and their kiss slowly subsided and the men could begin to see again, they beheld their Princess in the arms of another beautiful Princess with flowing raven hair, and they knew the spell over the Beast had been well and truly broken. "Now thou hast surrendered to me," the Princess said happily. "The spell over thee is broken and thou art mine forever."

"How canst thou be so sure?" the former Beast protested, even though she still held the Princess in her arms and had no intention of letting her go.

"'Tis the law of the land, love," the Princess replied, leaning in for another kiss. "All must live happily ever after."

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"And so they did live happily ever after, marrying and having three beautiful princesses of their own," Mim concluded, looking around at two cherubic faces starting at her in delight. One face, however, remained skeptical.

"I don't think that's how Mommy met Mama," Lillian protested. "Grandma Lottie said they met fighting crime."

"Well, it might not have been exactly like that, but it was close," Mim assured her, and Lillian seemed okay with that explanation because she settled down to sleep with her sisters. "Goodnight little loves," Mim said, kissing each of them in turn before she shut out the light.

"Why do I always have to be the Beast?" Shego grumbled to Kim as they watched Mim tenderly bid their offspring goodnight.

"You were the evil one, Sweetie," Kim reminded her, before giving her a kiss.

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With the last story finished, Shego looked at her wife, who in turn was steadfastly refusing to look at her. "Pumpkin, I have to go back," she said softly. "Please come with me; I can't be without you, even in death," she pleaded. Kim looked up at her, tears in her eyes, knowing Shego was right and knowing it was time. Shego smiled and held out her hand. After a moment's pause, Kim reached out and took it.

From the website of the Middleton Gazette, February 17th, 2098

Obituaries

Ms. Kimberly Ann Possible, a lifelong resident of Middleton, passed away quietly in her sleep at her longtime residence, the Middleton Mansion, on February 15th. One of Middleton's most famous citizens, she will be profoundly missed by the community.

Kim, as everyone called her, was born in Middleton in 1986 to James and Ann Possible, and spent her entire life here, graduating from Middleton High and then attending Upperton University. After graduation, she settled into life as a hero, thwarting many villainous attempts to take over the world with Team Possible, a group made up of her life-long best friend Ronald Stoppable and her high-school sweetheart and wife, Sheila (Shego) Goshen. Team Possible would serve the community and the world at large for many years, until at last Kim and Shego decided to retire and turn the team over to their three daughters, Anne, Lillian and Juliet. After retirement, Kim took up the role of philanthropist, using both her wealth and experience to help all those around here. It was only this last fall, after the death of her beloved Shego, that she began to withdraw completely from public view.

Kim was predeceased by her mother and father, Ann and James, her brothers, James and Timothy, her best friend Ronald, and her wife of 89 years, Shego. She is survived by her daughters Anne (Antoinette Lipsky), Lillian(Veronica Stoppable) and Juliet (Alexander Renton), 9 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, 53 great-great grandchildren, and 1 great-great-great granddaughter.

Memorial services will be private, and in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Kim's memory to the Middleton Zoo or the Middleton Botanical Gardens.


End file.
